I still remember the night the news spread through our small Oregon town — an 18-year-old senior from my high school had died in a car crash on the road right behind our school. It was a road we all knew, one we had driven hundreds of times. It’s a winding two-lane street with barely any streetlights, trees on one side and a creek on the other. Late at night, it can feel like the road belongs only to you and there’s more leeway. That night, it turned deadly. We still don’t know for sure exactly what happened, but rumors quickly spread, maybe he had been impaired, or distracted, or texting. What we do know is that he never made it home.

That loss shook the school and our community. I had driven that same stretch of road the night before, and I couldn’t stop thinking: What if it had been me? 

I’m 17 now and got my license and my first car last year. It’s only been about a year, but I can’t imagine not having the independence I’ve grown used to. But it’s also a responsibility that carries real risk. Living in rural Oregon, it seems like driving isn’t really optional. It’s how we get to school, work, practice, and friends’ houses. It’s over 2 hours to the nearest big city. Sometimes I drive at night, when the roads are empty. Other times, I drive with my friends, and when the noise level goes up, people tend to get excited. But since that crash, I find myself thinking more carefully about how quickly one bad decision can change everything.

Among young drivers today, distractions like texting are one of the most common and dangerous forms of impairment. Impairment is often only thought of as being drunk or high, but distraction affects the brain in similar ways. Looking at a phone for even five seconds at 55 miles per hour means driving the length of a football field completely blind (Edgar Snyder & Associates, 2024). Texting takes a driver’s eyes, hands, and focus away from the road — all at once. For teenagers like me who grew up constantly connected to our phones, that temptation is especially strong. It’s not just texting, either. Checking notifications, changing the song, or just glancing at GPS directions can be enough to cause a crash.

I’ll admit, I’ve caught myself reaching for my phone at stoplights or when I think no one’s around. But there is a constant reminder not to just around the way. It’s what remains of the memorial hanging on a chain-link fence above the creek that my classmates' car ended up in.  I remember the photos of his car that people shared, and I stop and think. It’s not worth it. What if it were my mom who got that horrible news that night? What if I was driving distracted and sent him off the road that night? There are endless scenarios that could be caused by impaired driving. I try to be a safe driver, even when no one is looking, and I try to set a good example, even when my cell phone is calling to me with notifications. 

Texting and distraction aren’t the only dangers, though. I've been to parties or events where I’ve seen people try to convince themselves they’re “fine to drive” after drinking or smoking. But impairment doesn’t just mean swerving or slurred speech — it slows reaction times, blurs judgment, and gives a false sense of confidence. People don’t realize how quickly that combination can turn deadly until it’s too late. In our town, with long distances between places, it’s tempting to drive anyway. That’s why it’s so important for young drivers like me to plan ahead and to designate a sober driver or even just stay put until it’s safe.

Fatigue is another kind of impairment that doesn’t get talked about enough. Late-night driving can be dangerous when the monotony sets in and the never-ending feeling takes over. After a long day of work or traveling, it can feel like I’m driving on autopilot,  my reaction time is dulled, and my eyes are blurry. The scary part is that fatigue creeps up on you slowly. You don’t always realize how impaired you are until you drift over the center line. Then it starts making you consider how fatigued the other drivers on the road might be, and if they might drift over on you.

Next year, I’ll be heading to college in a much bigger city, full of students, traffic, and distractions I’ve never had to deal with before. I’ll be driving among thousands of people my age, all balancing classes, work, and social lives, many of them tired, stressed, or distracted. It does concern me. But I know that I can only do my part to be a careful, responsible driver who looks out for others and tries to set a good example.

What I know now is that impairment isn’t always about what’s in your bloodstream; sometimes it’s what’s in your mind. Whether it’s a text message, a drink, or exhaustion, anything that takes away focus from the road is dangerous. Driving safely isn’t just about following the rules; it’s about respecting the lives around you — your own, and your passengers’.